Black Screenwriter Tells How He Sold His “I, Frankenstein” Script [EXCLUSIVE]

Kevin Grevioux is one of Hollywood’s undercover success stories. While Grevioux has capitalized on his towering physique and ultra bass voice in various roles and animation voiceovers (“Planet of The Apes,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” “Young Justice”), most would be shocked to know that nearly two decades ago, he was pursuing a master’s degree in genetic engineering.

“I was in my last year of my masters in 1988 when I decided to move to California”, Grevioux shares. “But my initial plan was to become a screenwriter, not an actor. Acting is something I fell into because I had a particular look and sound, so I used that to supplement my income.”

In 1994, Grevioux was working as a prop assistant on the sci-fi series “Stargate” when he met Len Wiseman, an extra on the set. The two would go on to collaborate on the 2003 sci-fi smash “Underworld.” The inspiration for “Underworld’s” vampire vs. werewolf storyline came from Grevioux’s experiences dating interracially. Grevioux wrote the treatment and original screenplay, Wiseman would direct. To date the “Underworld” franchise has grossed well over $450 million worldwide.

Grevioux is back with his newest creation, “I Frankenstein,” due to hit theaters in 2014. In this updated spin of the Mary Shelley classic, Aaron Eckhart plays the creature, Adam, who is caught in a centuries old war between demons and gargoyles. In an industry filled with reboots, remakes, and sequels, how was Grevioux able to sell such a risky concept?

“I wrote the screenplay for “I Frankenstein,” but what I did was use the graphic novel to help me sell my screenplay,” he tells TheUrbanDaily.com. “One of the most difficult things to do in Hollywood is sell a ‘spec script.’ You can augment your chances of selling your script with accompanying artwork or storyboard. I originally pitched “I Frankenstein” back in 2007 to Lakeshore Studios but they didn’t understand it. So I wrote the screenplay and came back to them with the artwork and they snapped it up before anyone else could make a counter offer.”

Grevioux also went on to offer some words of advice to upcoming Black filmmakers and writers trying to break into science fiction or comic book industry:

“Don’t listen to anybody around you. If someone tells you it can’t happen, that it’s a ‘White thing,’ just close the door on them,” he says. “Also find a way to create your own intellectual properties. The way to do that is to learn how to write and learn how to draw well, because once you learn how to be self-sufficient in that way, the world is your oyster. No guarantees, but it makes things a heck of a lot easier.”